KR100248569B1 - Probe system - Google Patents

Abstract

The probe device is a probe card assembly having a mounting table on which a semiconductor wafer having a circuit connected to a plurality of electrode pads is placed, and a plurality of probe needle groups positioned with respect to a horizontal reference plane and held by a card holder. And sending a test signal to the circuit through the Z-axis driving mechanism for elevating the mounting base to contact the needle tip of the probe needle group with the electrode pad, the probe needle and the electrode pad contacting each other, and inspecting the electrical characteristics of the circuit. The tilting amount and the tilting direction of the needle tip profile of the probe needle group on the basis of the detection result of the probe head, the sensor for detecting the needle tip height level of the probe needle at plural places of the probe card assembly, and the detection result of these needle tip height levels. The controller supports the card holder and the controller for giving correction instructions. An instruction from the controller such that the height level of the chimkkeut chimgun substantially parallel thus has a tilt mechanism for adjusting the supported height of the plurality of locations of the card holders.

Description

Probe Device

1 is a perspective view showing an outline of a cutout part of a probe device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the outline of the main stage with wafer mounting stage of the probe device according to the embodiment; FIG.

3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the main part of the apparatus of the first embodiment;

4 is a plan view showing the main parts of the apparatus of the first embodiment;

Fig. 5 is a circuit diagram showing needle tip height detecting means of the apparatus of the first embodiment.

6 is an enlarged side view showing a wafer mounting stage having a contact displacement sensor.

7 is a control block diagram of the apparatus of the first embodiment.

8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the tilt correction mechanism of the tip height.

9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the main part of the apparatus of the second embodiment;

10 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the apparatus of the second embodiment.

Fig. 11 is an internal perspective view showing the outline of the apparatus of the third embodiment.

12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing on an enlarged scale the clamp mechanism of the third embodiment.

Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the apparatus of the third embodiment.

14 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the apparatus of the fourth embodiment.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

11: probe body main body 12: crosspiece

13: main stage 14: semiconductor wafer

15 wafer mounting table (wafer chuck) 16 support frame

17: hair plate 18: insert ring

21: probe unit 22: probe card

23: probe needle 24: holder

25: card holder 26: contact ring

27: test head 28: external tester

29 microscope or television camera 31 autoloader

32: wafer cassette 33: cassette holder

34: loader stage 35: waiter handling arm

36: electrostatic capacitance sensor detection circuit 36a: capacitive sensor

37: Probe card exchanger 38: Card storage shelf

41: Y table 41a: rail

42: X table 42a: Rail

44: X-Y drive mechanism 45: lifting drive mechanism

46: rotating mechanism 47: lifting mechanism

48: moving camera 48a: high magnification

48b: low magnification 49: small

49a: target 51: tilt correction mechanism

52: adjusting screw mechanism 52a: steel ball

52b: Stop screw 53a: Manual adjustment screw

53b: dial control section 53c: scale

55: sensor body 56a: PVDF film

56b, 56c: electrode 57: substrate

58a, 58b, 58c, 58d: Connection terminal 58f: Earth terminal

60: detection circuit 61a, 61b, 61c, 61d: voltmeter

62: connection terminal 70: control system

71: CPU 72: X-Y direction movement control circuit

73: Z direction control circuit 74: θ direction control circuit

75: slope correction circuit 76: display

80, 81: card holder 84a, 84b: protruding piece

91: tilt correction mechanism 92: ball hinge mechanism

93: adjusting screw mechanism 93a: motor

93b: Ball screw 93c: Screw feed nut

100: CCD camera 111: fixed support

112: movable support portion 113: adjustment mechanism

114: hollow part 115: motor

116: screw rod 117: slide

117a support 118 support body

118a: shoulder 118b: concave

119: clamp mechanism 120: base

121: support pillar 122: fever support pin

123: pivoting lever 124: abutment

125: air cylinder 126: stage guide

127: camera holder 128: television camera

129: control circuit 130: television camera

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a probe device for inspecting electrical characteristics of an object under test, such as a semiconductor wafer chip.

In the conventional probe device described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 64-73632, the probe car is positioned and set in the apparatus main body via a card holder, and a test head is provided thereon.

Probe cards are of the four-point type, which are attached to the printed board by inclining the needle rod portions of each probe needle. There is a different type of probe type probe card, and there is a vertical needle type high density probe card (VTPC). VTPC has been put to practical use in order to cope with the increase in the number of electrode pads and the fine pitch due to the high integration of semiconductor chips.

By the way, in the conventional probe apparatus, three characters of a wafer mounting stand, a head plate, and an insert ring are provided in parallel with each other. However, the height level of the probe needle tip does not become uneven due to head plate or insert ring, missed attachment of the card holder, or fabrication error or deformation of the probe card itself, and the profile of the tip of the probe needle group is placed on the horizontal plane. (Hereinafter, it is simply abbreviated as "inclination of the tip height"; it is considered appropriate to actually express it as the inclination of the tip tip profile, here for convenience.)

In addition, the needle tip profile is a flat or curved surface formed by an envelope connecting a plurality of needle tips.

In a probe card in which the tip height is inclined, one end of the probe tip is at a high level and the other probe tip is at a low level.

If the degree of inclination exceeds the allowable value (high and low level difference between the tip and the tip of 20 to 30 µm), some probe needles may not come into contact with the pad or may be insufficient contact even if the drive is overdriven beyond the contact point. You cannot get continuity.

In recent probe devices, the number of stitches increases and the accuracy of needle tip of the probe card is very strictly demanded. For this reason, the inclination of the tip height in the actual set state of the probe card becomes a bigger problem. In the related art, a microscope is set up in the apparatus body, the wafer placing table (wafer chuck) is raised until contact with the contact pin, and the contact state and needle trace state of the needle tip of the probe needle group with respect to the dummy wafer are observed under the microscope. If the incidence of the tip height is visible, the probe is set and corrected, or the fastener of the head plate is loosened once, and the appropriate spacer is inserted into the reference plane of the head plate.

However, it is difficult to accurately grasp the degree of inclination of the tip height by microscopic observation, and it is difficult to determine what thickness spacers should be placed at the position below the head plate.

In addition, in the manufacture of probe cards, there is no manufacturing method in accordance with the actual installation state of the probe device, and there is a factor that causes a certain deformation of any probe card one by one. If a heavier testhead is mounted, another slope will occur, and this correction is very cumbersome.

It is an object of the present invention to easily detect the slope of the needle tip height level of the probe needle group due to a manufacturing error, deformation or attachment error of the probe card in a real state, so that the inclination correction can be performed very simply and reliably. It is to provide a probe device.

The probe device according to the present invention has a mounting table on which a test object having a circuit connected to a plurality of electrode pads is placed, and a plurality of probe needle groups positioned with respect to a horizontal reference plane and held by a card holder. The test signal is sent to the circuit of the subject through the probe card assembly, the lifting means for lifting up and lowering the mounting base to contact the probe tip of the probe needle with the electrode pad of the subject, and the probe needle and the electrode pad which are in contact with each other. And a test head for inspecting the electrical characteristics of the circuit under test, detection means for detecting the needle tip height levels of the probe needles at plural places of the probe card assembly, and the probe based on the detection result of the needle tip level levels. Means for obtaining correction instructions by obtaining the inclination amount and the inclination direction of the needle tip profile of the acupuncture group, and the card holder. And inclination correction means for adjusting the support heights of a plurality of places of the cardholder according to the instructions from the correction instructing means so that the needle tip height levels of the probe needle group are substantially parallel with respect to the horizontal reference plane. do.

The needle tip height detecting means is provided on a mounting table on which a test object is mounted, and has a plurality of independent displacement sensors in contact with the probe needle of the probe card by rising of the mounting table, and the contact displacement sensor. And a detection circuit for detecting a voltage change generated when each detection region of the probe contacts the probe needle. The detection height of the probe tip is determined based on the signal from the detection circuit and the rising amount of the mounting table. It is desirable to detect.

The needle tip height detecting means preferably includes a camera for capturing the image of the needle tip profile of the plurality of probe needles, and a detection circuit for detecting the needle tip level of the plurality of probe needles from the depth of focus of the camera.

The tester may include a conductive dummy plate on which the needle tip height detecting means is placed, and a contact check program for checking whether or not each probe needle is in contact with the dummy plate. In this way, the needle tip height level of the probe needle is detected at a plurality of places based on the signal from the tester and the lift amount of the mounting table.

It is preferable to support at least three points of the card holder or the insert ring or the head plate by the tilt correction mechanism. The tilt correction mechanism is installed at one of the three support points, and the ball hinge mechanism for tilting the card holder is possible, and the support height adjustment for adjusting the support height of the card holder is provided at two other places. It is desirable to have a screw mechanism.

The support height adjusting screw mechanism may be a manual adjusting screw having a dialed dial with a scale, or a ball screw with a motor autodrive.

In addition, in order to perform a highly accurate probe test, it is necessary to maintain the parallelism of a tester head and a test subject. A test head parallelism adjusting mechanism which supports the test head and adjusts the tilt of the test head at the same time as the device body, and installs a probe needle parallelism measuring means for measuring the parallelism of the probe needle with respect to the horizontal reference plane of the mounting table. The control head parallelism adjusting mechanism may be controlled by the detection signal from the probe needle parallelism measuring means to adjust the inclination of the test head, and control means for maintaining the parallelism of the probe needle with respect to the horizontal reference plane may be provided.

The test parallelism adjusting mechanism includes a motor installed in the apparatus main body, a screw rod rotated by the motor, and a slider member which is fitted with the screw rod and moves up and down in accordance with the rotation of the screw rod to support the tester head. desirable.

Alternatively, as a means having a parallelism between the test head and the test subject, a test head parallelism adjusting mechanism may be provided in the apparatus body to support the test head and to adjust the tilt of the test head. In this case, the probe needle parallelism measuring means for measuring the parallelism (tilt) of the probe needle with respect to the horizontal reference plane on the mounting table side, the object parallelism adjustment measuring means for measuring the parallelism of the test object mounted on the mounting table, and this pro A control means for controlling the test head parallelism adjusting mechanism according to the detection signal from the woofer parallelism measuring means and the subject parallelism measuring means, adjusting the inclination of the test head and maintaining the parallelism of the probe needle with respect to the subject under test. It is desirable to.

EXAMPLE

Hereinafter, the case where the probe device which concerns on this invention was used for the inspection of the semiconductor chip on a wafer is demonstrated, referring an accompanying drawing.

As shown in FIG. 6, reference numeral 11 denotes a probe-probe body which generally forms a box shape, and a main stage 13 is provided at the center of the main body 11 via a crossbar 12. As shown in FIG. The main stage 13 is provided with a wafer placing table (wafer chuck) 15 on which the semiconductor wafer 14 is placed. The wafer chuck 15 is mounted on an X-Y-θ table.

In the upper part of the apparatus main body 11, the head plate 17 is horizontally maintained by being supported by the rigid support frame 16 which was set up from the crosspiece 12 common to the wafer mounting stand 15. As shown in FIG. The probe unit 21 is provided via an insert ring 18 for positioning and fitting to the substantially central opening of the head plate 17. The probe unit 21 has a probe card 22 held in the card holder 25. The probe card 22 has a plurality of probe needles 23 mounted thereon. The probe card 22 is previously positioned at a predetermined position by the holder 25. The probe unit 21 supports the card holder 25 to the insert ring 18 so as to be attached to the upper side of the wafer placing table 15. Moreover, the contact ring 26 which electrically connects with the probe card 22 is provided in the upper side of this probe mechanism 21. As shown in FIG.

The test head 27 is mounted on the apparatus main body 11 in which the probe mechanism 21 is positioned and set. The test head 27 is electrically connected to each probe needle 23 and the contact ring 25 of the probe card 22 of the probe mechanism 21, and the external tester 28 is also electrically connected. Connected. In addition, a microscope or a television camera 29 is installed above the test head 27, and through the center opening of the probe card 22, it is possible to observe the wafer 14 and the probe tip contacting it. have. The test head 27 has a weight of about 300 to 400 kg, while the probe card has a weight of 500 to 800 g.

On one side of the apparatus main body 11, an autoloader 31 is provided. The autoloader 31 is provided with a cassette mounting table 33 that can be interchangeably inserted into a wafer cassette 32 containing a plurality of wafers 14 so as to be able to move up and down. The loader stage 34 is provided adjacent to the autoloader 31, and the wafers 14 are taken out one by one from the wafer cassette 32. In the vicinity of the loader stage 34, a preliminary alignment stage (not shown) is provided, and the preliminary alignment of the wafer 14 is performed.

The wafer handling arm 35 is provided between the apparatus main body 11 and the autoloader 31. This wafer handling arm 35 is a means for transferring the pre-aligned wafer 14 to the upper surface of the wafer placing table (wafer chuck) 15. In addition, these loader stages 34 and the wafer handling arms 35 pick up the wafer 14 at the end of the inspection from the wafer placing table 15 and return the wafer cassette 32 back to the wafer cassette 32.

An alignment unit (not shown) is provided just in front of the center of the apparatus main body 11. An alignment unit (not shown) using this alignment unit CCD camera or a laser and a detection circuit 36 using the capacitance sensor 36a are provided.

The alignment mechanism is for accurately aligning the wafer 14 on the wafer placing table 15 with respect to the scribe brain or the like.

As shown by the virtual line in FIG. 3, the wafer mounting base 15 is provided so that it can move directly under the capacitance sensor 36a by a moving mechanism (not shown). The capacitance sensor 36a has a function of detecting the position of the wafer placing table 15 in the Z direction and detecting the thickness of the wafer 14 and the like placed thereon.

As shown in FIG. 3, a probe card changer 37 is provided on the left side of the apparatus main body 11. In the probe card changer 37, a card storage shelf 38 is provided, and various probe cards 22 with the card holder 25 are inserted into the storage shelf 38 so as to be inserted and removed. It is. These probe cards 22 are taken out from the card storage shelf 38 as needed and attached to the insert ring 18 in the center of the head plate 17 of the apparatus main body 11. Attaching and replacing the probe card 22 is performed manually by an operator or automatically by the same apparatus (not shown) as the wafer handling arm 16. Such a probe card automatic exchange device is US Patent No. 4,966,520.

As shown in FIG. 2, the main stage 13 includes a Y table 41 movable along two rails 41a extending in the Y direction, and two extending on the Y table 41 in the X direction. It has an X table 42 which is movable along two rails 42a. Each of the tables 41 and 42 is driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) provided with a pulse motor.

A support shaft 43 is provided between the X table 42 and the wafer placing table 15. The support shaft 43 is connected to the elevating drive mechanism (not shown) and the rotary drive mechanism (not shown), and the wafer mounting base 15 is moved in the Z axis direction and θ rotation (rotation around the Z axis). have.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lifting mechanism 47 is attached to the side surface of the X table 42 of the main stage 13, and the moving camera 48 is provided so that the lifting mechanism 47 can move up and down. . This mobile camera 48 is comprised from the high magnification part 48a and the low magnification part 48b.

On the other hand, the small piece 49 protrudes and is fixed to the outer peripheral side part of the wafer mounting base 15 horizontally.

On the upper surface of the small piece 49, a conductive thin film such as an indium tinoxide (ITO) thin film or chromium plating is formed, and a target 49a such as a cross mark is formed in the center.

The small piece 49 is elevated and rotated integrally with the wafer placing table 15, and the moving camera 48 moves on the optical axis of the high magnification portion 48a so that the center of the cross mark of the target 49a is placed on the wafer. The position of the table 15 in the θ direction (rotation around the Z axis) serves as a reference point when the mobile camera 48 detects the position.

In addition, the conductive thin film on the peripheral surface of the target 49a of the small piece 49 enables the detection of the position (height) of the wafer placing table 15 in the Z-axis direction by the capacitance sensor 36a. . The alignment control in the alignment unit is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 64-73632.

Next, the probe card assembly will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

The main body 24 of the probe card 22 is a printed board having an opening in the center. A plurality of probe needles 23 are provided inclined downward from both edge portions of the central opening of the card main body 24. These groups of probe needles 23 are supported by the card body 24 corresponding to pad groups of one or more chips. The card body 24 is fitted to the stepped portion 25a of the card holder 25, and the edge portion thereof is fixed to the card holder 25 by pins or screws.

The probe card 22 is attached to the lower surface of the insert ring 18 by tightening the card holder 25 to the lower surface of the insert ring 18, or by the attachment by the support ring capable of vertical movement for the automatic set, It is set so that exchange is possible in the upper opposing position of the wafer mounting base 15. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the probe card is a needle type, but a VTPC may be used instead.

By attaching and setting such a probe card 22 to the insert ring 18, a plurality of electrodes of the card body (printed substrate) 24 are electrically connected to the contact ring 26 mounted on the insert ring 18. . As a result, each probe needle 23 is electrically connected to the test head 27 through the contact ring 26 and the pogo pin. When the pad on the wafer side is brought into contact with the needle tip of the probe needle 23, the signal is sent to the chip circuit, and the signal further enters the input portion of the tester 28.

Next, the raising (Z-up) operation of the wafer placing table 15 during the probe test will be described.

The wafer placing table 15 is raised at a high speed from the lowest reference position to the lower vicinity of the probe card 22. Subsequently, the wafer placing table 15 is raised at a low speed until the contact height (contact point) at which the chip-shaped electrode pad contacts the probe needle 23.

In addition, the wafer mounting base 15 is raised by a slight stroke amount to overspeed, and overdried beyond the contact point. The initial high speed distance is about 20 mm, the next low speed distance is about 3 to 8 mm, and the overdrive amount is set to about 50 to 100 μm to ensure sufficient electrical contact between the probe needle 23 and the pad. Good to do.

The head plate 17 is horizontally supported by the support frame 16 which is firmly supported by the crossbar 12 common to the wafer mounting table 15. The insert ring 18 is horizontally fitted and fitted on the inner circumferential step portion 17a of the center hole of the head plate 17. The upper surface of the wafer placing table 15, the three plates of the head plate 17 and the insert ring 18 are provided so as to be parallel to each other.

However, in the state where the probe card 22 is actually positioned and set on the insert ring 18 and the heavy test head 27 is placed on the insert ring 18 via the contact ring 26 thereon, the probe card ( 22) may cause the inclination of the tip height of the plurality of probe needles 22 groups. Means for detecting and correcting the inclination (horizontal degree) of the needle tip height of the probe card 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, the inclination correcting mechanism 51 is provided as a means for detecting and correcting the inclination of the tip height of the probe card 22. As shown in FIG. The inclination correcting mechanism 51 has one ball hinge mechanism 52 and two adjusting screw mechanisms 53, through which the probe card assembly is attached to the head plate 17. Supported.

One adjustment screw mechanism 53 is provided at the support point A, and the other adjustment screw mechanism 53 is installed at the support point B.

The ball hinge mechanism 52 has a steel ball 52a and a pair of stop screws 52b. The steel ball 52a is provided between the inner circumferential step 17a of the head plate and the outer circumferential protrusion piece 18a of the insert ring. The ball 52a is located in the middle of the pair of stop screws 52b.

As shown in FIG. 3, the edge portion of the insert ring 18 is superimposed on the inner stepped portion 17a of the central opening of the head plate 17, and the overlapped portion is a screw of the tilt correction mechanism 51 ( 53b). That is, the inclination correcting mechanism 51 also has a member for fastening the insert ring 18 to the head plate 17.

The outer diameter of the insert ring 18 is about 2.5 to 3.5 times the diameter of the wafer 14.

The adjusting screw mechanism 53 has a manual adjusting screw 53a and a stop screw 53b. The manual adjustment screw 53a has a dial operating portion 53d with a scale 53c attached to the head. By selecting the scale 53c and forward / reversing operation of the operating portion 53d so as to match the reference arrows, the outer periphery protrusion 18b of the insert ring can be variably adjusted to a desired support height level. The stroke amount of each adjustment screw mechanism 53 is determined, respectively. The adjustment screw mechanism 53 allows the probe card 22 to change the height level up to 1000 µm in the Z-axis direction. In this embodiment, the height level of the probe card 22 is changed by manually adjusting the screw 53a. However, an automatic adjustment mechanism using distortion of the piezoelectric element may be employed.

Further, as a means for detecting the tip heights of the plurality of probe needles 23 groups of the probe cards 22 actually set, a displacement sensor 55 having a plurality of independent detection areas, and the displacement sensor 55 The detection circuit 60 which detects the voltage change which generate | occur | produces when each detection area | region in contact with the probe needle 23 is provided, respectively.

The needle tip height of the probe needle 23 group is grasped on the basis of the signals from the detector 60 and the lift amount of the wafer placing table 15, and the inclination degree of the needle tip height of the probe needle 23 group and The control system 70 is provided as a means for calculating the tilt direction and giving correction instructions.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the contact displacement sensor 55 is formed into a flat plate shape by the sensor body 56 and the substrate 57. Figs. The sensor main body 56 forms a three-layer structure in which electrodes 56a and 56c are provided on both sides of a 28 µm thick PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) film 56a. PVDF is a kind of piezoelectric plastic.

The PVDF film 56a generates a voltage between the electrodes 56b and 56c due to the electrical polarization (piezoelectric effect) generated by applying mechanical distortion to this crystal. Both electrodes 56b and 56c are conductive thin films formed over the entire surface by aluminum deposition.

In Fig. 5, the areas indicated by a, b, c, and d are detection areas that contact the probe needle 23 of the main body 56 of the displacement sensor 55, respectively. Thus, the detection area of the displacement sensor 55 is divided into four equal parts, and each of them independently generates a voltage by the piezoelectric effect. That is, although the lower electrode 56c is grounded in common for all areas, the upper PVDF film 56a and the upper electrode 56b are equally separated and separated in all directions by cross cut lines. .

On the other hand, the substrate 57 of the displacement sensor 55 imparts the function of flatly supporting the flexible sensor body portion 56, or use a silicon wafer as it is, or separately manufactured by glass, epoxy, or ceramics. One is used.

In the case of a conductive substrate such as a silicon wafer, this may be used as the bottom electrode 56c which is grounded (grounded) of the sensor body 56 as it is. It is fixed.

The substrate 57 has an outer diameter and a thickness equivalent to that of the wafer 14, and has an orientation flat.

Since a very thin sensor main body 56 is superimposed on this upper surface, the contact displacement sensor 55 is substantially the same shape as the wafer 14 even if the contact displacement sensor 55 is seen as a whole.

As a result, the displacement sensor 55 is automatically loaded on the wafer mounting table 15 as needed. That is, the contact displacement sensor 55 is stored and stored in a suitable place of the autoloader 31, and is carried out by the loader stage 34 only when necessary thereafter, and after being preliminarily aligned, by the wafer handling arm 35 It is placed on the upper surface of the wafer placing table 15, and is further positioned accurately in the alignment unit.

The detection circuit 60 individually changes the voltage generated when the detection areas a, b, c, and d of the main body 56 of the contact displacement sensor 55 come into contact with the probe needle 23. Four voltmeters 61a, 61b, 61c, and 61d are provided on the wafer mounting table 15 so as to detect the?

In addition, connecting terminals 58a, 58b, 58c, 58d and earth terminal 58f are provided on the substrate 57 of the contact displacement sensor 55. The connection terminals 58a, 58b, 58c, and 58d are lead wires protruding from the upper electrodes 56b of the detection areas a, b, c, d of the sensor body 56, respectively. Print wiring, etc.). The earth terminal 58f is connected to the bottom electrode (common ground) 56c. By placing the sensor 55 on the upper surface of the wafer placing table 15, electrical connection between the detection areas a, b, c, d and the voltmeters 61a to 61d is automatically performed.

Each of the connection terminals 58a to 58d and the earth terminal 58f is joined to each connection terminal 62 of the detection circuit 60 provided in the state where the upper surface of the wafer placing table 15 is embedded.

Next, the relationship between a control system, each sensor, and a drive mechanism is demonstrated, referring FIG.

The control system 70 has a CPU 71 with a memory.

The CPU 71 is connected to each of the X-Y direction movement control circuit 72, the Z direction movement control circuit 73, and the θ direction movement control circuit 74 via a system bus. The control circuit 72 is connected to the X-Y drive mechanism 44, the control circuit 73 is connected to the lift drive mechanism 45, and the control circuit 74 is connected to the rotation drive mechanism 46.

The CPU 71 is connected to the capacitance sensor detection circuit 36 of the alignment unit via a system bus. In addition, a detection circuit 60 of the contact displacement sensor 55 and a CCD camera needle height detection circuit 102 are connected to the CPU 71 via a system bus. The needle tip height of the probe needle 23 group can be grasped on the basis of the detection signals from the detection circuits 36 and 60 and the lift amount of the wafer placing table 15.

In addition, the inclination correction circuit 75 is connected to the CPU 71 via the system bus, and the display 76 is connected thereto. Predetermined soft programming is stored in the slope correction circuit 75 in advance.

The CPU 71 grasps the needle tip height of the probe needle 23, respectively, and calculates the degree of inclination and the inclination direction of the needle tip height of the probe needle 23 group of the inclined probe card by calculation. Instructions for correcting the inclination of the tip height are displayed on the display 76.

The tilt correction instruction of the tip height is, for example, "A. +2 B... -10 "on the display 76.

The operator who saw this indication rotates the dial 53C forward by two divisions with respect to the inclination correcting mechanism 51 of the support point A, and rotates the dial 53C with respect to the inclination correcting mechanism 51 of the support point B. Reverse the rotation by 10 divisions.

As a result, the inclination of the tip height of the group of probe needles 23 is corrected, and all the probe needles 23 can be reliably connected to the pad.

When the probe card 22 is newly attached to the insert ring 18 via the card holder 25 or is replaced, the displacement sensor 55 initially stored and stored in the autoloader 31 is loaded. Carry out by the stage 34.

Then, after preliminary alignment, the wafer 14 is placed on the wafer mounting table 15, and the alignment is maintained while accurately positioning the wafer 14 while image recognition is performed in the alignment unit. The capacitive sensor 36a is detected by the detection circuit 36 to detect the height of the upper surface of the wafer placing table 15 and the height of the upper electrode 56b of the upper displacement sensor 55. From this difference, the displacement sensor is detected. The thickness D ₁ of 55 is detected and stored in the memory of the CPU 71 of the control system 70.

Next, the wafer placement table 15 is returned to the center lowest reference position by the XY drive mechanism 44 of the main stage 13, and thereafter, the lift drive mechanism 45 is quickly elevated to a predetermined height level. Slowly ascends at low speed. As the wafer placing table 15 is raised, the film of the upper electrode 56b of the detection areas a to d of the sensor main body 56 on the upper surface comes into contact with the needle tip of the probe needle 23.

By this needle contact, the PVDF films 56a in the respective detection areas a to d of the sensor body 56 generate a voltage between the upper and lower electrodes 56b and 56c by the piezoelectric effect. The generated voltage is detected by the voltmeters 61a to 61d of the detection circuit 60, and the detection signals are input to the CPU 71 of the control system 70.

On the basis of each detection signal from the detection circuit 60, the CPU 71 recognizes the needle tip height level of the probe needle 23 group of the probe card 22 and stores it in the memory.

That is, the CPU 71 starts from the lowest position of the wafer placing table 15 at each time point where the upper surfaces of the detection areas a to d of the sensor 55 come in contact with the needle tip of the probe needle 23, respectively. Distance ZH ₁ is recognized from the Z direction movement control circuit and stored.

This lowers the wafer placing table 15 to the original reference position. On the other hand, the CPU 71 recognizes the needle tip height levels of the probe needles 23 group, respectively, and from the result, the tilt correction circuit 75 adjusts the inclination degree and the inclination direction of the needle tip heights of the probe needles 23 group. The correction instruction is displayed on the display 76 by the calculation.

In other words, when all the detection areas a to d of the displacement sensor 55 are in contact with the needle tips of all the probe needles 23 groups at the same time, each detection signal is input to the CPU 71 at the same time.

In this case, “A…” on the display 76. ± 0 B... ± 0 ”, and it is not necessary to correct the inclination of the tip height.

On the other hand, when the detection areas a to d of the displacement sensor 55 come into contact with the needle tips of the probe needles 23 at different timings, some detection signals are quickly input to the CPU 71, and other detections are performed. The signal is input to the CPU 71 late.

In this case, the CPU 71 calculates the degree of inclination and the direction of inclination of the height of the needle tips of the probe needles 23 group, and accordingly, the support heights at the supporting points A and B are, for example, " A… +2 B... -10 "on the display 75. The operator who saw this indication rotates the dial 53C of the support point A and the support point B, respectively.

As a result, the inclination of the tip height of the group of probe needles 23 is corrected, and all the probe needles 23 can be reliably brought into contact with the pad.

After correcting the inclination of the tip height, the contact displacement sensor 55 is picked up by the wafer handling arm 35 from the wafer placing table 15 lowered to the reference position, and the autoloader is loaded by the loader stage 34. 31) back to the original storage position.

After the first first wafer 14 actually inspected is taken out from the waiter cassette 32 of the autoloader 31 and pre-aligned, the wafer handling arm 35 is placed on the upper surface of the wafer placing table 15. Release.

In addition, the alignment unit is aligned by the image recognition mechanism to maintain accurate positioning.

The wafer placing table 15 holding the wafer 14 is returned to the centermost quasi-position of the main stage 13.

At that time, the upper surface height level of the wafer placing table 15 and the upper surface height level of the wafer 14 are detected in the alignment unit, respectively.

CPU (71) is to obtain the thickness (D ₂₎ of the wafer 14 from both the high-level difference, and the thickness (D ₂₎ data on the thickness (D ₁₎ the data and the wafer 14 of the displacement sensor 55 And the difference ± Δ (D ₁ -D ₂ ).

In addition, the difference ± Δ is added to the Z height ZH ₁ of the wafer placing table 15 at the time when the upper surface of the previous contact displacement sensor 55 contacts the needle tip of the probe needle 23, and the wafer 14 The contact height ZH ₂ (= ZH ₄ + (± △)) which actually touches the tip of the probe needle group 23 by Z up is obtained.

The contact height ZH ₂ corresponds to the contact point of the wafer 14 with respect to the needle of the probe card 22 in the actually set state. In accordance with this contact point ZH ₂ , the amount of rise (the amount of movement up from the lowest reference position) of the wafer placing table 15 at the time of inspection is set.

In practice, the upward movement amount obtained by adding an overdrive amount of about 50 to 100 µm from this contact point is set in the Z-direction movement control circuit 73.

According to this instruction, the wafer placing table 15 is raised, and the electrode pads of the semiconductor chip of the wafer 14 on this upper surface reliably contact the needle tip of the probe needle 23 group of the probe card 22, Each semiconductor chip is sequentially and accurately inspected for its electrical characteristics, thereby preventing contact failures, irrationalities such as wafers, probe needles, collisions, and breakage.

Thus, after the inspection of the first wafer 14 is completed, the wafer 14 is returned to the wafer cassette 32 of the autoloader 31 and the subsequent wafers 14 are sequentially inspected as described above.

If the thickness of the contact displacement sensor 55 is equal to the thickness of the wafer 14, the contact point can be obtained without detecting the thickness using the capacitance sensor 36a.

In the above embodiment, the contact displacement sensor 55 having four detection areas a to d has been described, but the contact displacement sensor 55 may have three detection areas and five or more detection areas. You may have an area.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the contact displacement sensor 55 is temporarily mounted only on the wafer mounting table 15 when necessary, and the detachable accessory is provided. However, the sensor 55 is permanently mounted on the wafer mounting table 15. You may also do it.

In the above embodiment, the inclination of the insert ring 18 is directly corrected (indirectly the inclination of the probe card 22), but instead the inclination of the head plate 17 is directly modified. You may also do so. In this way, the installation space for attaching the ball hinge mechanism 52 and the support height adjustment screw mechanism 53 can be enlarged with a margin, and there exists an advantage that design freedom increases to a large side.

Each support height adjustment screw mechanism 53 may use a ball screw with a motor autodrive instead of a manual adjustment screw system having a dial operation portion with a graduated scale.

In this case, the motor drive is electrically connected to the inclination correction circuit 75 of the control system 70 described above, and the motor is rotated forward and backward by the inclination correction instruction signal from the inclination correction circuit 75. By varying the support height of the insert ring 18 or the head plate 17, it is possible to automatically correct the inclination of the tip height of the probe needle 23 group.

As the needle tip height detecting means, a tester containing a contact check program capable of confirming whether or not each probe needle is in contact with the conductive dummy plate may be employed. In this case, the needle tip height of a plurality of program needles is detected on the basis of the signal from the tester and the lift amount of the mounting table.

As the needle tip height detecting means, a CCD camera for checking the deviation of the needle tips of the plurality of probe needles 23 group of the probe card 22 in the set state and the depth of focus of the cameras A detection circuit for detecting the needle tip height of the woofer needle 23 may be used.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, the wedge member 79 is inserted between the head plate 17 and the insert ring 18, and the drive member 22 is pushed back and forth to insert and slide the probe card 22 together with the insert ring 18. As shown in FIG. May be adjusted.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. In addition, description of the part which a 2nd embodiment is common to said 1st embodiment is abbreviate | omitted.

In the apparatus of the second embodiment, the probe card 22 is positioned and held through the card holder 80 in the lower part of the test head 27 installed in the upper part of the apparatus body 11 so that the airway can be rotated. have.

In the apparatus of the second embodiment, the card holder 81 is supported by at least three places by the inclination correcting mechanism 91 with respect to the center lower surface of the test head 27, and the support height is provided to the means for giving correction instructions. Therefore, by adjusting, the inclination of the tip height of the probe needle 23 group of the probe card 22 is corrected. That is, the card holder 81 has a rectangular cylindrical holder body 82 serving as a contact ring, and a ring-shaped fitting member for holding the probe card 22 at a lower end thereof by a positioning pin or a fastener ( 83). And three protruding piece parts 84a and 84b are radially provided in the upper outer edge of the holder main body 82. As shown in FIG.

The inclination correcting mechanism 91 forms a three-point support structure in which the three projecting pieces 84a and 84b of the card holder 81 are suspended below the test head 27. Of these, a support member 92 is provided at one support point, and a support height adjustment screw mechanism 93 is provided at the other two support points. The ball hinge mechanism 92 is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment.

The support height adjusting screw mechanism 93 is a motor auto drive system.

This mechanism 93 is equipped with the motor 93a, the ball screw 93b, and the screw feed nut 93c.

The motor 93a is fixed to the frame 27b in the test head 27.

The ball screw 93b is vertically inserted into the protruding piece portion 84b and driven forward and reverse rotation by the motor 93a.

The screw feed nut 93c is fixedly attached to the lower portion of the protruding piece portion 86b and screwed into the ball screw 93b.

On the other hand, as a means for detecting the tip height of the probe needle 23 group, the CCD camera 100 and the detection circuit 102 are provided. The CCD camera 100 is attached to the side of the wafer placing table 15 in the apparatus main body 11, and is for viewing the deviation of the needle tips of a plurality of places of the probe needles 23 group of the probe card 22. . The detection circuit 102 is for detecting the needle tip height of the plurality of probe needles 23 at the depth of focus of the CCD camera 100.

Next, an operation of detecting the tip height of the probe needle 23 group will be described.

The CCD camera 100 is moved directly under the probe card 22 by the movement control of the wafer placing table 15, and the needle tip of the plurality of probe needles 23 group is enlarged by the camera 100. See the award. At the depth of focus of the camera with respect to the needle tip at that time, the needle tip height of the plurality of probe probes 23 is detected by the detection circuit. The plurality of needle tip height detection signals thus obtained are sent to the tilt correction circuit 75, and the degree of inclination and the tilt direction of the needle tip height of the probe needle group are calculated by calculation, and the result is displayed on the display 101.

On the other hand, in response to the correction instruction signal, the motor 93a of the two support height adjustment screw mechanisms 93 of the tilt support mechanism 91 is driven to rotate the ball screw 93b forward and backward. By changing the support height of two places of the card holder 81 by this, the card holder 81 is inclined to the support point, and the inclination of the tip height of the group of probe probes 23 is inclined. You can automatically correct horizontally.

Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13. In addition, description of the part which this 3rd embodiment is common with the said 1st and 2nd embodiment is abbreviate | omitted.

As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the probe frame main body 11 is provided with the support frame 16 installed from the crossbar 12, and this support frame 16 is equipped with the test head 27. As shown in FIG. Supporting portions 111 and 112 for supporting are provided. The support parts are four places, one of which is the fixed support part 111, and the remaining three are the movable support parts 112. As shown in FIG. The movable support part 112 is equipped with the test head parallelism adjustment mechanism 113 which can move up and down with respect to the fixed support part 111, and can adjust the inclination of the test head 27. As shown in FIG.

The motor 115 of this adjusting mechanism 113 is provided in the hollow part 114 of the support frame 16. As shown in FIG. The drive shaft of the motor 115 is connected to the screw rod 116, which is screwed onto the slider 117.

The slider 117 is rectangular in cross section, and is provided so that the slide does not rotate with respect to the support frame 16 and the slide is movable in the longitudinal direction of the support frame 16.

When the screw rod 116 is rotated, the slider 117 moves up and down.

As shown in FIG. 12, the upper end part of the slider 117 is provided so that the spherical support body 117a may be integrated with the slider 117, and this support body 117a is the support body 117a of the fixed support part 111. As shown in FIG. It is formed in the same shape as.

On the other hand, the support body 118 is attached to the lower surface of the test head 27. A recess 118b is formed in the lower portion of the support base 118, and the neck 118b is in contact with the spherical support 117a. That is, the test head 27 is supported by four points by the spherical support body 117a in four corners.

Moreover, the clamping mechanism 119 is provided in the support part 111 and 112, respectively, in order to connect the test head 27 to the support frame 16. As shown in FIG. These clamp mechanisms 119 are provided with a support pillar 121 standing up against the base 120 fixed to the support 117a, and a pivot support pin 122 is attached to the upper end of the support pillar 121. As a support point, the rotation lever 123 which can be rotated freely is provided. At the distal end of the pivoting lever 123, a contact portion 124 that can contact the shoulder portion 118a of the support body 118 fixed to the test head 27 has a contact portion 124, and the base end portion is connected to the base 120. It is connected to a fixed air cylinder 125.

Then, by pushing up the base end of the rotation lever 123 by the air cylinder 125, the contact portion 124 abuts the shoulder portion 118a of the support body 118, the support body ( The test head 27 can be fixed by pushing the test head 27 against the support frame 16 through 118.

On the other hand, the main stage 13 having the wafer placing table 15 is supported by the cross bars 12 so as to be able to move horizontally along the stage guide 126. The stage guide 126 is formed on the horizontal reference plane of the wafer placing table 15.

The wafer holder 15 is provided with a camera holder 127 which projects horizontally and horizontally, and the camera holder 127 has an optical system as a probe needle parallelism measuring means, for example, a television camera 128. Is mounted.

The television camera 128 is configured to move simultaneously with the waiter placing table 15 in the state of facing the probe card 22.

The television camera 128 has a function of optically measuring the inclination of the probe card 22 with respect to the spage guide 126 serving as the horizontal reference plane, specifically, the inclination of the plurality of probe needles 23. .

The television camera 128 is electrically connected to the control circuit 129 as a control means, and transmits a parallelism detection signal of the probe needle 23 to the stage guide 126 serving as a horizontal reference plane. It inputs to the test head parallelism adjusting mechanism 113 via this, and can control this adjusting mechanism 113.

Next, the operation of the third embodiment will be described. First, the test head 27 is supported by the fixed support part 111 and the movable support part 112 which are installed in the support frame 16, and the rotation lever 123 of the rotation lever 123 is carried out by the air cylinder 125 of the clamp mechanism 119. The base end is pushed up, the abutting part 124 abuts the shoulder part 118a of the support body 118, and the test head 27 is supported with respect to the support frame 16 through the support body 118. The test head 27 is fixed by pushing.

On the other hand, the tilt of the needle tip height of the probe needle 23 group is measured optically by the television camera 128 while moving the wafer placing table 15 on which the wafer 14 is placed in the XY direction.

As shown in FIG. 13, when the probe needle 23 arranged on the probe card 22 is inclined with respect to the reference line P, the control circuit 129 of the probe needle 23 The height level of the lowest position J point and the height level of the highest position K point are measured, and the difference Z ₁ of both is obtained. At the same time, the mutual distance (L ₁ ) between the J point and the K point is obtained.

On the other hand, since the distance L ₂ between the test head parallelism adjusting mechanisms 113 supporting the test head 27 is constant, the inclination is based on the distance L, the distance L ₂ and the difference Z ₁ . The distance Z ₂ and the tilt angle θ ₁ are calculated.

When a control signal is input to each adjustment mechanism 113 based on the calculation result of the control circuit 129, each adjustment mechanism 113 acts by the command signal from the control circuit 129. That is, the motor 15 located at the point J is rotated forward, and the motor 15 located at the point K is rotated in reverse. As a result, the slider 117 on the J point rises, and the slider 117 on the K point falls. In this way, the inclination of the test head 27 is corrected, and the needle tip height level of the probe probe 23 group is kept parallel to the stage guide 126.

In addition, instead of the step guide 126, only the adjustment mechanism 113 positioned on the movable support part 112 may be raised and lowered as the horizontal reference plane.

In a state where the clamp of the clamp mechanism 119 is released, the clamping mechanism 119 may be adjusted to maintain parallelism, and then the test head 27 may be clamped by the clamp mechanism 119.

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The description of the same parts as those in the first to third embodiments will be omitted.

A television camera 130 is provided on the head plate 17 as a horizontal reference plane of the probe device body 11.

The television camera 130 faces the waiter mounting table 15 and can measure the parallelism of the wafer 14 placed on the wafer mounting table 15. If the wafer 14 is deformed such as warpage, the wafer 14 may be slightly inclined with respect to the upper surface of the wafer placing table 15. The inclination of the wafer 14 is measured, and the inclination of the probe needle 23 of the probe card 22 is corrected through the test head 27 from the measurement result.

The television camera 130 is electrically connected to the control circuit 129 as a control means, and simultaneously with the parallelism detection signal of the probe needle 23 with respect to the stage guide 126 serving as a horizontal reference plane, The parallelism detection signal can be input to the adjustment mechanism 113 through the control circuit 129 to control the adjustment mechanism 113.

In the state where the wafer 14 is placed, the wafer placing table 15 is moved in the XY direction, the parallelism of the three places of the wafer 14 is measured by the television camera 130, and θ ₂ is determined by the Z value at that time. X and θ ₂ Y are obtained, and the measured value is input to the control circuit 129 as a parallelism detection signal of the wafer 14.

On the other hand, the inclination of the tip height of the probe needle 23 group is measured from the television camera 128, and the measured value is input to the control circuit 129 as a parallelism detection signal of the probe needle 23.

Since the control circuit 120 inputs the inclination θ ₁ of the probe needle 23 and the inclination θ ₂ of the wafer 14, the control circuit 120 calculates θ ₁ −θ ₂ , and the calculated result is adjusted for each angle. When a control signal is input to the mechanism 113, each adjustment mechanism 113 operates by a command signal from the control circuit 129.

According to the above embodiment, the data of both the inclination of the wafer 14 and the inclination of the probe needle 23 of the probe card 22 are elevated by the original test head 27 to increase the inclination of the probe needle 23. It can be modified, and the effect that can examine the more accurate electrical properties.

According to the probe device of the present invention, the tilt of the needle tip height level of the probe needle group due to a manufacturing error, deformation, or attachment error inherent to the probe card is detected in the actual set state, and the correction of the inclination is as simple as possible. I can do it.

For this reason, a probe card assembly set-up can be made very easy, the contact precision of a probe needle tip and an electrode pad can be improved, and inspection precision can be improved.

Claims (13)

A probe card assembly having a mounting table on which an object under test having a circuit connected to a plurality of electrode pads is placed, and a plurality of probe needles 23 grouped on a horizontal reference plane and held by a card holder. And a lifting means for elevating the mounting base to contact the needle tip of the probe needle group 23 with the electrode pad of the subject, and testing the circuit of the subject through the probe needle 23 and the electrode pad which are in contact with each other. A test head 27 for sending a signal and inspecting electrical characteristics of the circuit under test, detecting means for detecting the needle tip level of the probe needle 23 at a plurality of locations of the probe card assembly, and these needle tip heights A correction instruction means for obtaining a correction instruction by obtaining an inclination amount and an inclination direction of the needle tip profile of the probe needle 23 group based on the detection result of the level, and the card holder; And a tilt correction means for adjusting the support heights of a plurality of places of the card holder according to the instructions from the correction instruction means so that the needle tip height levels of the probe needle 23 group are substantially parallel with respect to the horizontal reference plane. Probe device. The head plate (17) according to claim 1, which is provided between the head plate (17) fixed to the apparatus body frame and the head plate (17) and the card holder, and at least three head plates (17) by the tilt correction means. And an insert ring (18) connected to and supported by the insert holder (18), wherein the card holder is positioned with respect to the head plate (17) through the insert ring (18). The card holder according to claim 1, wherein the card holder is positioned and supported under the test head 27, and the card holder is supported on the test head 27 at at least three positions by the inclination correcting mechanism 51. Ub device. 2. The needle tip height detecting means according to claim 1, wherein the needle tip height detecting means has a plurality of independent detection zones in contact with the probe needles (23), and a contact displacement sensor (55) mounted on a mounting table, and the contact displacement sensor (55). A detection circuit 60 for detecting a voltage change generated when each detection area of the probe contacts the probe needle 23, and based on the signal from the detection circuit 60 and the rising amount of the mounting table. A probe device for detecting the needle tip height level of the probe needle 23. 5. The needle tip height detecting means according to claim 1, wherein the needle tip height detecting means comprises: a camera for capturing the image of the needle tip of the probe needle 23 in a plurality of places, and the needle tip level of the probe needle 23 in a plurality of places from the depth of focus of the camera; A probe device comprising a detection circuit (60) for detecting a signal. The tester according to claim 1, wherein the needle height detecting means includes a conductive dummy plate contacting the probe needle at the mounting target and a tester including a contact check program for confirming whether each probe needle is in contact with the dummy plate. And a probe height level for detecting the needle tip level of a plurality of probe needles based on the signal from the tester and the lift amount of the mounting table. The tilt correction mechanism (51) according to claim 1, wherein the tilt correction mechanism (51) supports at least one of the card holder (25), the insert ring (18), and the head plate (17) at three points. A ball hinge mechanism 52 installed on at least one of the three-point supports and supporting at least one of the card holder 25, the insert ring 18, and the head plate 17 in such a manner that the tilt motion is possible, and at least three points It is provided in other places except the said one of the support, Comprising: The support height adjustment screw mechanism 53 which supports the at least one of the card holder 25, the insert ring 18, and the head plate 17 so that raising / lowering is possible is provided. Probe device. The probe device according to claim 7, wherein the moving stroke amount of at least one of the card holder 25, the insert ring 18, and the head plate 17 by the support height adjustment screw mechanism 53 is at most 1000 mu m. . A probe device according to claim 7, wherein the support height adjustment screw mechanism (53) has a manual adjustment screw (53a) having a dial operating portion (53d) with a scale (53c) attached thereto. 8. The probe device according to claim 7, wherein the support height adjustment screw mechanism (53) has a ball screw with a motor auto drive attached. A probe card assembly having a mounting table on which an object under test having a circuit connected to a plurality of electrode pads is placed, and a plurality of probe needles 23 grouped on a horizontal reference plane and held by a card holder. And a lifting means for elevating the mounting base to contact the needle tip of the probe needle group 23 with the electrode pad of the subject, and testing the circuit of the subject through the probe needle 23 and the electrode pad which are in contact with each other. A test head 27 for sending a signal and inspecting electrical characteristics of the circuit under test, a test head parallelism adjusting mechanism for supporting the test head 27 and adjusting the inclination of the test head 27; Probe needle parallelism measuring means provided in the mounting table and the detection signal from the probe needle parallelism measuring means for measuring the parallelism of the probe needle 23 with respect to the horizontal reference plane of the base A probe device having control means for controlling the test head parallelism adjusting mechanism by 60 to adjust the inclination of the test head 27 and to maintain the parallelism of the probe needle 23 with respect to the horizontal reference plane. 12. The test parallelism adjusting mechanism according to claim 11, wherein the test parallelism adjusting mechanism includes a motor (115) installed in the apparatus main body, a screw rod (116) rotated by the motor (115), and a screw fit with the screw rod (116). Probe device having a slider (117) for supporting the tester head by moving up and down in accordance with the rotation of the rod (116). A probe card assembly having a mounting table on which an object under test having a circuit connected to a plurality of electrode pads is placed, and a plurality of probe needles 23 grouped on a horizontal reference plane and held by a card holder. And a lifting means for elevating the mounting base to contact the needle tip of the probe needle group 23 with the electrode pad of the subject, and testing the circuit of the subject through the probe needle 23 and the electrode pad which are in contact with each other. A test head 27 for sending a signal and inspecting electrical characteristics of the circuit under test, a test head parallelism adjusting mechanism for supporting the test head 27 and adjusting the inclination of the test head 27; Probe needle parallelism measuring means for measuring the parallelism with respect to the horizontal reference plane of the needle tip profile of the probe needle group 23, and the number of subjects mounted on the mounting table, which are installed opposite the mounting table. The test head parallelism adjusting mechanism is controlled based on the test object parallelism measuring means for measuring the parallelism with respect to the reference plane, and the detection signal 60 from these probe needle parallelism measuring means and the test subject parallelism measuring means. 27. A probe device comprising a control means for adjusting the inclination of 27) and maintaining the parallelism of the needle tip profile of the group of probe needles 23 with respect to the subject under test.